AFYA YA FIGO YAKO, UREFU WA MAISHA YAKO (KIDNEY HEALTH)

STAYING SAFE FROM KIDNEY DISEASE

Helleminigilder Ndangalasi (MD student Muhimbili university of health and allied sciences)

2230hrs 26th July 2016

Kidney disorders and disease are among life threatening disorders that can get anyone. This is because each one of us only has two kidneys that normally get damaged simultaneously and if not managed fast lead to complete destruction beyond repair. The result is the need of subsequent procedures of dialysis (kukojoa kutumia mashine) and/or replacement with a donated kidney which as we can all just predict is not any easier procedure to be performed on anyone.

“Diseases of the kidney are among the most important causes of death and disabilities in many countries in most part of the world” Guyton(2005)

Karibu tuzungumze:

In this article I am going to discuss with you

• The signs that you should consider as sign of kidney disease. I aim at educating the mass about how they can know about their kidney health and see professionals in time while the procedure is still manageable. This will reduce the possibility of loosing more kidneys.
• I will also roughly go through a healthy life style for any one to help them take care of their kidneys healthily.

I would first like to alert you that normally kidney diseases may be a result of certain health conditions. People living with diabetes mellitus(kisukari) and high blood pressure are the most risked group of the population.

It is scientifically proven too that on a general basis, the two kinds of populations are normally obese (unene kupita kiasi). These are very interactive concepts of healthy; obesity brings about diabetes then hypertension hence kidney disease that result in kidney failure.

Another instance is of people living with heart failure are at a higher risk of developing the disease that is because in heart failure the heart fails to pump enough blood to the kidneys for their proper function.

In other situations, it comes as a result of loss of large blood quantities of blood like after an accident or maybe delivery. So anyone having experienced such situation should know that they are susceptible to kidney disease and hence should keep awake to the symptoms I am about to describe soon.

However on a general basis, the most common symptoms of kidney disease are:

• Production of very low amounts of urine per day. When I say low I really mean low, as low as just 400ml. for a healthy individual urine output per day is supposed to be between 1 to 1.5L depending on the weather conditions and general amounts of fluid taken in by an individual.
• Secondly, is the oedema(kujaa maji na kuvimba sehemu flani ya mwili mfano mapafu au miguuni mara nyingi) which simply means swelling of the body tissues especially the extremities like the legs. This is normally the pitting kind of oedema that is to mean when you place a finger on the swollen extremities and press hard for sometime; the result is a pit on the skin that starts to feel in but slowly unlike the normal individual. Taking about one or more minutes.
• Further more is high blood pressure which might not be easy for you to notice but on certain occasions high blood pressure as you may have already heard is normally accompanied with headaches and visual problems by which the affected individuals tends to loose clear but blurred images occasionally.

I would also think anyone with the kidney disease should be considered lucky if they are accompanied with pain in the groin. Well I am not saying that pain is what I pray for but atleast pain will be something that can't go unnoticed unlike the others.

In addition one should really see a doctor immediately:

• If they also have blood in their urine, fever and chills. 
• Some people are faced with very fast breathing a condition scientifically called hyperventilation(kupumua kwa nguvu zaidi ili kuvuta na kutoa hewa kwa nguvu kuliko kawaida). This is a result of high level of bodily acids another condition scientifically named as acidosis.

So after taking you through that, may I now take the responsibility to advise you on the healthy life style to keep up to. The rules are simple do not overload the kidneys.

1.  For a better survival just like each one of us can only work up to certain levels and not more. The overload on the kidneys may happen if one takes large quantities of alcohol on daily basis. A little alcohol daily is not a problem, it is infact healthy but not large quantities for a daily or regular occasion.
2. Moreover one should do physical activities like walking or running on daily basis to make sure that they do not acquire a life style encouraging obesity as we have already seen the effect of obesity and its effect on diabetes, high blood pressure and finally kidney disease. This should be hand in hand with taking enough water daily.

Just want to remind you lastly that kidney diseases are reversible before they get very bad. As Guyton(2005) says,“In many cases an initial insult to the kidney leads to progressive deterioration of the kidney function and further loss of nephrones to the point where the person must be placed on dialysis for treatment or replaced with a functional kidney to survive. Getting to the doctor in time is your only survival chance. That’s why I took the trouble to write you this to help you know when you are in danger and alert you to see a doctor in time.

 Until next time we meet stay healthy,thanks.